Tube support



Oct. l0, *1939. R4 s. BROWN 2,175,555

TUBE I SUPPORT Filed Deo. l2, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jg 7129 NI INVENTOR Oct. 10, 1939. Rl s. BROWN 2,175,555

TUBE SUPPORT Y Filed Deo. l2, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f/f/ /v/ Psfenied oei. 1o, 1939 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE v TUBE SUPPORT Roger Stuart Brown, Upper Montclair, N. J. Application December 12, 1936, Serial No. 115,580

'5 Claims.

'I'his invention relates to supports for tubes, and particularly to means for supporting tubes which are subjected to high temperatures, such as still tubes and the like.

1t is customary to support tubes subjected to extreme heat, such as still tubes, at the ends and at intermediate points, to prevent sagging as a result of the high temperatures to which the tubes lare subjected. Considerable diiliculty has been experienced with such supports as have been known heretofore, however, because they expand when heated to the temperatures existing in stills and the like, introducing further problems and complicating that o f supporting tubes against sagging.

I have invented a novel form 'of support for still tubes and the like which overcomes the principal objection to the supports known previously, and embodies additional novel features and advantages which will become apparent in the following detailed description thereof, referring to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment. In the drawings, 1 Fig. 1 is an elevation of a support which lI 86 employ adjacent the ends of the tubes;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View along the line II-II thereof;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing an intermediate support which I employ between the ends of the tubes;

Figs. 4 through 7 are sectional views taken along the planes of the correspondingly numbered section lines in Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a transverse section through a still4 having the invention embodied therein, the showing being largely diagrammatic; and

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section through a still, the line VIII-VIII thereof indicating the plane on which the section of Fig, 8 is taken. While the invention will be described herein as applied particularly to a still installation, it"

will be understood that other applications of the invention may be made, and that it is not limited to stills.

Figs. 8 and 9 show diagrammatically a still I0 having heating chambers Il and I2. Burners I3 are mounted in the still for heating the chambers. A pair of banks of tubes Iris disposed in each of the chambers, the tubes being connected to means for forcing therethrough fluid tol be heated or vaporized. The tubes are supported adjacent their, ends by end supports I5 and intermediate their ends by intermediate supports I5'. These supports are suspended from above the heating chambers in any convenient manner.

The end supports I5 comprise a plurality of sections I6 secured to each other by links I1 and pins I8. 'I'he sections I6 are provided with feet I9 on one side thereof. These either slide in a guide or carry a plate which slides in a. guide 5 xed to the wall or the header box in back of it. These details are not shown' because they are not part of my invention. Any equivalent means for holding the end supports against lateral displacement while permitting longitudinal expansion may be used. A head 20 is provided at the top of the upper section I 6 for cooperation with an overhead support. y

The sections I6 are provided with openings 2| adapted to receive the ends of the tubes I4. Slots 15 22 extend from the openings 2l to the outer edges of the sections. The sections are preferably cast of a heat-resistant alloy, and their thicknesstapers from top to bottom as shown in Fig. 2.

The slots 22 limit the expansion of the sec- 20 tions I6. While the center portion of the sections I E expands, this portion is not heated to as high a temperature as the edges, because it is in contact with the tubes I4 through which the relatively cool iluid flows. -By tapering the thickness 25 of the sections, the unit stress is maintained uniform, as the load decreases toward the lower end of the support. This means that the creep or sag of the sections when heated is also uniform. 'I'here is also a substantial saving in the weight 30 and cost of the sections by making them lof decreasing thickness.

As shown in Figs. 4-7, the edges of the sections I6 taper in thickness. 'Ihis is also true of the hooks on the sections 25. A substantial saving of 35 material is thus effected without seriously impairing the strength of the tube engaging portions of the supports.

Fig. 3 illustrates one of the intermediate sup- 4 ports I5. These supports are also composed of 40 a plurality of sections 25 having prongs 26 extending from opposite sides thereof. Tube-receiving openings 21 are formed above each prong. From the top of the openings 21, the edge of the support extends vertically to the next prong 45 above, as shown at 28, so that the tubes are embraced by the supports only for about threefourths of their circumference which is enough to prevent the tubes from jumping out and, at the same time, avoids any excess of metal in 50 the prong which would be heated to 'a temperature higher than the remainder of the support because it is located farther away from the tube which exerts a cooling action on those portions of the support with which it engages. Temperaf ture dierences in various parts of the support are thus minimized,'tcgether with the resultant stresses which would otherwise be set up. The sections 25 of the supportsl' are secured together by links l1 and pins I8, in -the same manner as the sections of the supports I5.

The openings 21 in the supports I5' are spaced vertically very slightly closer together than the openings 2l in the supports l5. When the tubes are installed the intermediate supports are raised so that the upper tubes just rest on the bottom vent the tubes from being deformed out of their normal straight condition, either by sagging of the tubes or expansion of the supports. 'I'he difference in the operating temperature of the intermediate and end supports is provided for and the expansion of both intermediate and end supports limited to a minimum. Differences in the temperatures of different parts of both types of supports are reduced so as to avoid excessive internal stress in any part thereof. 'I'he stresses introduced into the supports by the weight of the tubes and their contents is made uniform by tapering the thickness thereof. Any creep or sag which occurs will thus be uniform throughout the supports.

Although I have illustrated and described herein but a preferred form of intermediate and end support, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction illustrated and described may be changed without departing from the fundamental principle thereof.

1. Means for supporting heat exchange tubes in a furnace, comprising a tube support end plate forming the furnace side of a header box and having spaced tube-receiving openings, the end plate having slots extending inwardly from the edges thereof and intersecting the tube-receiv- Y ing openings therein, and intermediate supports having tube-receiving prongs spaced along the edges thereof and providing openings spaced along the support, the spacing of the openings in the intermediate slports being slightly less than tllla: between the openings in the end support D a e.

2. Means for supporting heat exchange tubes in a furnace, comprising a tube support end plate forming the furnace side of a header box and having spaced tube-receiving openings. the end` plate having slots lextending inwardly from the edges thereof and intersecting the tube-receiving openings therein, and intermediate supports having tube-receiving prongs spaced along the edges thereof and providing openings spaced along the support, the intermediate supports adapted to engage tubes supported thereon throughout approximately three-fourths of their circumference, the spacing of the openings in the intermediate supports being slightly less than that between the openings in the end support plate.

3. Means for supporting heat exchange tubes in a furnace, comprising a tube support end plate forming the furnace side of a header box and having spaced tube-receiving openings, the end plate having slots extending inwardly from the edges thereof and intersecting the tube-receiving openings therein, and intermediate supports having tube-receiving prongs spaced along the edges thereof and providing openings spaced along the support, the spacing of the openings inthe intermediate supports being slightly less than that between the openings in the end sup port plate, both the end support plate and intermediate supports tapering in thickness toward the edges.

4. Means for supporting heat exchange tubes in a furnace, comprising a tube support end plate. forming the furnace side of a header box and having Vspaced tube-receiving openings, the end plate having slots extending inwardly from the edges thereof and intersecting the tubereceiv ing openings therein, and intermediate supports having tube-receiving prongs spaced along the edges thereof and providing openings spaced along the support, the spacing of the openings in the intermediate supports being slightly less than that between the openings in the end support plate, both the end support plate and the intermediate supports tapering in thickness from the top toward the bottom.

5. In a furnace, supporting means for a plurality of long vertical rows of horizontal heat exchange tubes, said supporting means being supported from one end only, said supporting means comprising articulated tube support end plates forming the furnace sides of header boxes and having spaced tube receiving openings, each of-said end plates having expansion slots extending inwardly from the edges thereof and intersecting the tube receiving openings therein, and intermediate supports having tube receiving prongs spaced along the edges thereof and providing openings spaced along the support.

ROGER STUART BROWN. 

